[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  2140
 
AUTHORIZING PRINTING OF REPORTS FILED WITH CLERK FOLLOWING ADJOURNMENT 
                                SINE DIE

  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that following 
adjournment sine die, committees authorized to conduct investigations 
may be permitted to file reports with the clerk; and that such reports, 
and reports on the activities of committees pursuant to clause 1(d), 
rule XI, may be printed by the Clerk as reports of the 103d Congress.
  The SPEAKER. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  (Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to proceed out of order 
for 1 minute.)


                          legislative program

  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to announce to the Members 
that there will be no more votes in this session of Congress. We will 
be having and entertaining a number of unanimous consent requests later 
this evening, a little bit into the evening. all of them have been 
cleared with the minority and so we are in agreement on those unanimous 
consent requests. So there will be no further votes this evening.
  I want to thank the Minority Leader, who I am not sure is here, but 
we intend to properly honor and recognize the Minority Leader at a 
later date when we come back here on November 29. We want to give him 
our honor and our appreciation at that time.
  (Mr. MICHEL asked and was given permission to proceed out of order 
for 1 minute.)


               a farewell from the hon. robert h. michel

  Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, it is against the rules to be singing in the 
House. I remember when I got called on that once, when I thought our 
friend, Tip O'Neill had recessed the House and we had Bob Hope in here 
for his 75th birthday. We were doing a little parody on ``Thanks for 
the Memories,'' and I, instead of saying it, I began singing it. Got 
through about two paragraphs of it before I realized we were out of 
order. So we will not want to do that.
  I tell you, folks, this has been for me a very emotional day. It 
began in our Republican caucus with their wonderful resolution in which 
they defied all tradition, I guess, and just made me an honorary 
leader, I guess, for life, with all the privileges wherein I can come 
back and visit with the leadership any time. And, yes, even sit in on 
the caucus, if I want, from time to time, which is just, well, 
wonderful.
  From the very beginning, when I made the announcement, which of 
course was way back in October, I know it was an emotional kind of time 
for me. Those of you who come to a particular point in life when you 
make a real decision of that kind, it has to be that emotional. But I 
am glad it was as early as that, because it has given me all this time 
to adjust.
  I tell you, if it would have been making an announcement only 60 days 
ago and then here we were, I think I just could not manage it.
  I have said to the press, when they asked, you know, what are the 
high notes, what are the low notes, all that sort of thing, or what 
will you miss most? And I have to tell you all that, of course, being a 
perpetual member of the Minority, the Michel name is not on but very 
few pieces of legislation over that period of 38 years. You folks have 
had that kind of advantage. So it is not the legislative things so much 
as it is what I will be missing will be each and every one of you. That 
is the important thing.
  I guess I would want to convey to the outside world out there that I 
would like to have felt that I served as a pretty good member over the 
period of years and projected the kind of image that would bring credit 
to this institution, that certainly the strong thing for me are those 
wonderful relationships and friendships that I have acquired over my 
tenure.
  For those who would malign the institution and say all the things 
that they can possibly conjure up, I will always snap back real quick, 
My friend, whomever you are, I want you to know that there are no 
better group of friends that I have in my life or that I could have 
acquired but that in the arena of politics and more particularly, in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, more fine people serving here in 
this institution.
  I guess I would never want any of you to shortchange yourselves, 
because when you do that, you shortchange the institution. And it is a 
tremendous honor to have been elected to this institution in the first 
place.
  I did come at a time when it was, I think, publicly revered more than 
it is today. I regret that. But we all have our role to play, those of 
you now in-house and those of us who will be out in the outside world, 
to try and bring back that respect and admiration for the institution. 
It just has to be that way.
  When we go to a high school and a college and talk about those three 
equal coordinate branches of government that everybody throughout the 
globe wants to emulate now, as emerging democracies, well, we just want 
to be out there making the most of ours and never apologize for the 
system we have and serving this institution.
  You all have been just so wonderful. I am glad that I have composed 
myself enough all during the course of this day that I did not have to 
give you any weeping swan song this evening, but just one wail of a big 
thank you, thank you, thank you for your friendship all.
  [Applause, the Members rising.]
  The SPEAKER. The time of the Republican leader has not yet expired.

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